Fittest Loser trainers ready for the challenge
Here are the trainers from Push Fitness who will be working with this year's Fittest Loser contestants.
A certified personal fitness trainer and boot camp instructor, Amsden received a degree in business administration from Trinity Christian College. She has six years of experience and specializes in high-intensity, total-body and circuit training for weight loss and muscle toning. She enjoys encouraging and pushing clients to work hard within their capabilities. She is paired with contestant Katie Przyszlak.
“My personal goal is to push Katie and make her 10 times tougher than she already is — and this girl is tough already!” Amsden says. “I want to see Katie complete this competition on top. I will make sure she completes that half marathon, even if I have to run it with her!”
A certified personal trainer, Amsden is in his fourth year participating in the Fittest Loser contest — after his trainee won the first year. He has nearly a decade of experience and specializes in total body and circuit training styles for weight loss and body shaping. He believes in leading by example and promoting a total lifestyle change to ensure healthy habits.
He wants his contestant, Brian Corrigan, to share a newfound passion for fitness and a healthy lifestyle. “The most rewarding part is the changes each contestant makes physically and emotionally,” Amsden says. “The camaraderie between the contestants and the trainers makes the experience so much fun.”
Figueroa is a personal trainer, boot camp instructor and boxing coach with nearly three decades of experience. He specializes in using a wide variety of exercise techniques, including weight training and boxing, to challenge the body and mind, and believes anyone willing to work hard and stay disciplined can break through any barrier. He is paired with contestant Karen Maranto.
“Had I gotten to pick somebody, he would've been it,” says Maranto of her trainer. With three boys, “there's nothing girl in my life,” she says, and she thinks she'd like boxing as a form of stress and aggression relief.
Merrill is a certified personal fitness trainer and boot camp instructor with six years of experience. He specializes in high-intensity training, advanced core training and muscular development and enjoys showing clients how much they can accomplish with the proper mindset. He is training contestant Michael White.
“His fluctuating eating habits are what caused him to gain this weight in the first place, and he and I know that if the food gets on track, the weight will come off and stay off,” Merrill says. “The key is consistency.”
Steckler, a co-owner of Push Fitness and a personal trainer, earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Indiana University. He is certified as a health fitness and performance enhancement specialist and has 14 years of experience. He specializes in high-intensity, total-body and functional training styles to enhance fat loss and muscle density and enjoys combining ballistic movements with functional exercises to improve body composition, strength, balance, power and stability.
His client is Tom Hampson, the oldest of the group, so health and safety are top priorities, Steckler says. “He knows he needs to get healthy, but I want him to really own it,” Steckler says. “Once he sees and feels the positive results, I know he will be a believer and continue with this for the long term.”
Trapp, a co-owner of Push Fitness and a personal trainer, was a four-year collegiate football/baseball player, earning a degree in physical education from Lindenwood University. He is certified as a performance enhancement specialist and has 10 years of experience. He enjoys incorporating modern fitness trends with traditional training styles to keep workouts fresh and innovative. He is paired with contestant Matt Kramer.
“We've gone through nutrition and he's explained the proper way to eat,” says Kramer of his trainer. “I never knew the way to match foods together to get the maximum amount of benefit. For me, it's all about knowledge.”
“I want Matt to implement this as a lifestyle,” Trapp says. “Everything he's learning, from nutrition to exercise, he's doing while working full time and handling all his other day-to-day responsibilities. What he learns over the next 12 weeks will impact his overall health and vitality for the rest of his life.
“I told Matt that he will find out more about his character in the next 12 weeks then maybe he has in his entire life. I told him I expect him to be a man of integrity and self-disciplined. It's time he proves to himself that he has a purpose ... to live a long, healthy life, and that time is now. As the famous Rocky quote goes ‘no pain, no gain.' Matt said bring it on. And I will!”